Getty Dennis Schroder #71 of the Boston Celtics.
Through July 19, 2022, former Boston Celtics guard Dennis Schroder remains unsigned. After the Celtics traded Schroder to the Houston Rockets on February 10, Schroder only played 15 more games, where he averaged 10.9 points and 5.9 assists while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from three. Even though he’s two years removed from finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting, Schroder has not had a market thus far.
However, it appears Schroder may be down for a reunion with one of his previous teams, the Los Angeles Lakers, if given the opportunity. On Schroder’s most recent Instagram post, LeBron James commented on it, saying, “Tuff!” while adding three flame emojis. Schroder responded to LeBron, saying, “Might gotta run it back?!” while adding a crown emoji to signify James’ nickname as the King.
Dennis Schroder’s IG comments 👀
As of now, there have been no confirmed reports of interest between the Lakers and Schroder regarding a possible reunion, but that could change if Schroder remains unsigned as the summer progresses.
Schroder was traded to the Lakers during the 2020 offseason. In his lone season with the Lakers, Schroder averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from three. Schroder also had multiple run-ins with COVID-19 protocols that season. One of them was right before the NBA Playoffs started. Schroder eventually left the Lakers but apparently had the opportunity to be paid handsomely to stay.
Schroder Reportedly Rejected Lucrative Extension With Lakers
On March 30, 2021, Brian Windhorst revealed that the Lakers had offered Schroder a four-year contract extension totaling out to $84 million more or less, although the details regarding incentives or guarantees weren’t clear.
According to Windhorst, Schroder turned down the extension, which meant he was going to be a free agent that summer. Once the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook and used their mid-level exception on Kendrick Nunn, they could only offer Schroder a veteran’s minimum contract, so he took the $5.9 million mid-level exception from Boston instead.
However, it appears from the horse’s mouth that this supposed offer was never on the table.
Schroder Refuted That Report
During Media Day 2021, Schroder said that he had never received an offer like that from the Lakers. He made it sound as though there was an offer on the table that he was not interested in but not the one that Windhorst had reported.
“The Lakers told us we are not talking during the season, and at the end of the day, I never had that contract in front of me. That’s one thing, but they wanted to talk, and at the end of the day, me and my agent decided not to sign that contract. At the end of the day, I feel like, for me personally, I gotta be comfortable in the environment I’m in.”
Although they never came to an agreement, Schroder still praised the Lakers but didn’t think he was a good fit when he played for them.
“I love the Lakers organization, and they did great things. But I think, for me, and this is just business, I don’t think I fit in 100 percent. You play with LeBron [James] and [Anthony Davis]. That’s two of the best players in the NBA, and I don’t think I gave them everything that I bring to the table.”
The only ones who truly know what happened behind the scenes are Schroder and the Lakers themselves. No matter how things went down back in 2021, it appears Schroder may be down for another go-round with LeBron in Hollywood.